tagging

We are happy to announce improvements to the Spoonflower search engine! These enhancements will improve the accuracy and relevancy of search results for our shoppers and aid designers in marketing their designs. How has search gotten better?

A search for “puppy” will also return results for “puppies”

Previously if you typed “puppy” in the search box, it only returned designs that were a match for “puppy,” leaving out results tagged “puppies.” Now, different versions of the same root word will be included. If you search for “play,” designs also tagged “plays,” “playing,” and “played” will be returned. This new feature means designers don’t need to fret over tagging their designs with variations of the same base word in order for their designs to be seen.

A search for “owl” will not return results for “bowling”

Previously, our system allowed for partial matches, which meant that a search for “owl” returned “bowling” designs too since “owl” is contained within the word “bowl.” We are very pleased that this will no longer be the case, making search results more accurate and relevant to one’s search.

Search results now prioritize relevancy

Functioning more like Google, if you search for 'old brick wall' now, the first results returned will be a match for all three words 'old,' 'brick,' and 'wall.' As you scroll down the returned search results, you will begin to see designs that are a match for just two of the words, perhaps "brick" and "wall" and, eventually, designs that might be a match for just one of the words 'brick' or 'wall.'

You have more ways to customize your search results

With the new search engine, you can specify that your search results must include or exclude a particular term by modifying your search phrase with a + or a –. For more details on these methods of search, read our short Search on Spoonflower help doc.

If you enter your design in a contest, you get extra tags

Every design is allowed up to seven tags and, previously, contest tags we added to your design counted in your allotment of seven. This is no longer the case. By entering a contest, your design essentially gets additional tags added by us, making it even more searchable.

It’s faster!

Who doesn’t like faster? ‘Nuff said.

One important note for designers

There will be a delay of up to fifteen minutes before newly uploaded designs or changes to previously uploaded designs will appear in search results. Don’t worry if you don’t see the changes you made to your floral design reflected in the floral tag search results right away. This delay only relates to search results; you should be able to see your newly uploaded designs or changes to your designs right away through your My Studio homepage and Design Library. If you feel like you are experiencing search result delays beyond fifteen minutes, please let us know.